The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA) has undergone a variety of expansions and renovations over the years. Specifically, this paper will address the I.M. Pei additions through Foster & Partners of the Linde Family Wing for Contemporary Art mainly from its conception in 1981 to its opening in 2011. It is beyond the scope of this paper to explore changes in the Linde Family Wing after its opening in 2011. This paper will cover how the museum was able to expand in order to create this new wing and why the new wing was important for the museum's growing contemporary collection. I will also discuss I.M. Pei's perspective on this project in comparison to the actual site plans through Foster & Partners with Malcolm Rogers, and how the wing was received
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The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston opened on July 4, 1876 in honor of the United States centennial. It was originally located in Copley Square, and it had roughly 5,600 works of art in its collection. The museum, however, had difficulty housing their collection in the ensuing years, as more people donated their works of art, and they were forced to relocate their museum elsewhere to expand exhibition space. In November of 1909, the museum moved to Huntington Avenue, and the museum was designed by Guy Lowell. Over the years, the museum added new wings, as their collection grew further. In July of 1981, the West Wing was designed by I.M. Pei, and it included "a large gallery space for special exhibitions, an …show more content…
The Department of Contemporary Art was established in 1971, which was ten years before I.M. Pei's designs for the West Wing. As of 1992, the collection "has focused on art created since 1955 and today the collection contains more than 1500 works from across the globe." This, however, is a small percentage of the entire museum's collection of roughly 500,000 works. The inclusion, nevertheless, provides an outlet for non-traditional media. The Contemporary art collection includes, "painting, sculpture, photography, works on paper, installation, decorative arts, craft, design and film and video. The MFA is also one of the first encyclopedic museums in the United States to fully integrate performance art into its collections, exhibitions and programs. The Linde Family Wing provides a space for these media, as the walls can be rearranged to fit whatever needs the Contemporary curator has. Specifically, in the eight galleries located in the Linde Family Wing, "one is dedicated to contemporary craft and decorative arts; another to film, video and new media. Large-scale installations are exhibited in the Wing's soaring Eunice and Julian Cohen Galleria. Also located in the Linde Family Wing is the Henry and Lois Foster Gallery, the Museum's main space for special exhibitions of contemporary art." Contemporary art also breaks barriers to reflect a wide array
The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston opened on July 4, 1876 in honor of the United States centennial. It was originally located in Copley Square, and it had roughly 5,600 works of art in its collection. The museum, however, had difficulty housing their collection in the ensuing years, as more people donated their works of art, and they were forced to relocate their museum elsewhere to expand exhibition space. In November of 1909, the museum moved to Huntington Avenue, and the museum was designed by Guy Lowell. Over the years, the museum added new wings, as their collection grew further. In July of 1981, the West Wing was designed by I.M. Pei, and it included "a large gallery space for special exhibitions, an …show more content…
The Department of Contemporary Art was established in 1971, which was ten years before I.M. Pei's designs for the West Wing. As of 1992, the collection "has focused on art created since 1955 and today the collection contains more than 1500 works from across the globe." This, however, is a small percentage of the entire museum's collection of roughly 500,000 works. The inclusion, nevertheless, provides an outlet for non-traditional media. The Contemporary art collection includes, "painting, sculpture, photography, works on paper, installation, decorative arts, craft, design and film and video. The MFA is also one of the first encyclopedic museums in the United States to fully integrate performance art into its collections, exhibitions and programs. The Linde Family Wing provides a space for these media, as the walls can be rearranged to fit whatever needs the Contemporary curator has. Specifically, in the eight galleries located in the Linde Family Wing, "one is dedicated to contemporary craft and decorative arts; another to film, video and new media. Large-scale installations are exhibited in the Wing's soaring Eunice and Julian Cohen Galleria. Also located in the Linde Family Wing is the Henry and Lois Foster Gallery, the Museum's main space for special exhibitions of contemporary art." Contemporary art also breaks barriers to reflect a wide array